Diseases, Ayurveda Herbs

When any living being suffers from an impairment of the normal state or the vital functions’ performance is interrupted or modified, it is also known as disease.

There can be many kinds of diseases, and their causes are innumerable.

The malnutrition, industrial hazards, climate, infective agents, genetic or hereditary problems, and so on can be the causes for the diseases. There are both harmful and harmless diseases.

Harmful diseases are either incurable or fatal or contagious in nature. Harmless diseases are common ailments that can even be communicable.

Nidan Panchak

Nidan Panchak is a Sanskrit word with the meaning of Five Clues to diagnose the disease. It also includes the conversion process of the normal physiology to pathology that causes diseases. If you are well-versed in Ayurveda, you would be aware that it is a method to diagnose the disease, the root cause of it along with the tracing of its evolution. The five methods to identify diseases and their pathology are:

Hetu Nidan (Causative factors)
Poorvaroop (Preindicating signs and symptoms)
Roop (Indicating signs and symptoms)
Upshaya (Therapeutic test)
Samprapti (Pathology)

Let us see each method with their descriptions.

Hethu (Nidan)

It is also known as causative factor that is responsible for the disease causing pathologies. Internal or Nija, and External or Agantu are the two types of hetu.

The balance of the three doshas like Vata, Pitta and Kapha can be disturbed by the hetus.

The different branches or factors of Hetu are Close factor, distant factor, weak factor, and string factors.

Asatmiya Indriyartha Sanjog is another type of Hetu, which is again divided into different categories like Atiyog or overuse, Hinyog or underuse, and Mithyayog or misuse.

Another type of Hetu is Pragyaparadh, which again is divided into three groups like Dhi or intellectual, Dhriti or awareness, and Smruthi or memory. The next type of Hethu is Parinama or time, which is divided into three categories: Hinayog, Mithyayog, and Atiyog. Dosha Hetu, Vyadhihetu or diseased factor, Ubhayahetu or combined factor, Utpadakhetu or predisposing factor, Vyanjakhetu or exciting factor, Bahyahetu or external factor, and Abhyantarhetu or internal factors are different factors in Hetu.

Poorvaroop

The signs and symptoms that appear during the disease development are helpful in diagnosing or identifying the disease, and this is known as Poorvaroop or pre-indicating signs and symptoms. This is divided into two types: General and Special pre-indicating signs and symptoms.

Roop

The signs and symptoms that appear after the disease development help in diagnosing the disease, and this is known as Roop or indicative signs and symptoms. Roop is also known as Sansthan, Vainjan, Linga, Lakshan, Chinham or Akruthi.

Upshaya

It is also known as therapeutic test that help to treat an ailment through medicine, diet and conduct.

Samprapti

It is known as Pathology in English, and in Sanskrit, it is Jati and Agati. From the disturbance of equilibrium of doshas, and undergoing different stages, to the causing of the disease, the process is known as Samprapti.

Diabetes, gastritis, acidity, coughs, cold, hiccups, anaemia, loss of appetite, obesity, and so on are some of the various common diseases.